May 2024

Does the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt cause catch-up growth of branch pulmonary arteries? No: A systematic review

To determine if the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas shunt (BTTS) causes sufficient growth of hypoplastic branch pulmonary arteries (BPAs) to facilitate total correction or definitive palliation of cardiac lesions, PUBMED (PM) and Google Scholar (GS) were systematically searched between January 1st, 1966, and March 31st, 2023. Search terms included: Blalock, Taussig, shunt, pulmonary artery and Tetralogy of Fallot. Only full-text...

Author(s): Mark N. Awori, Jonathan A. Awori, Gilbert Langat and Kimberly Kipkoech

May 2024

Current status of the paediatric congenital heart disease management pathway in Kenya

The objective of the current study was to assess the current status of the congenital heart disease (CHD) Management Pathway (MP) in the same public hospital in Kenya, following an assessment conducted sixteen years ago that found all phases of the MP to be inadequate. Over the course of one year, patients under 12 years of age with congenital heart disease (CHD) were consecutively recruited from the general pediatric...

Author(s): Mark Nelson Awori, Daniel Ojuka, Diana Marangu and Paul Bannon